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Restaurant Owner Exchanges SNAP Benefits for Cash
A Danville restaurant owner was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by exchanging cash for SNAP benefits.
The owner of Seaford and More in Danville, Virginia, Bobby Lee James, 69, pleaded guilty in January 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of food stamp fraud, according to court documents.
James and others who worked at Seafood and More redeemed SNAP benefits in exchange for cash between 2010 and 2018, causing approximately $1,835,767 in losses to the SNAP program, according to court documents.
James also admitted that he directed his employees to redeem SNAP benefits for cash during the same time and that he knew what he was doing was wrong, according to court documents.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the United States Secret Service, and the Danville Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day is prosecuting the case for the United States.
The case against James serves as a reminder of the importance of the SNAP program and the need to protect it from those who would seek to exploit it for personal gain.
James will serve his 12-month and one-day sentence in a federal prison, a fitting punishment for his crimes.
With a total of over $2,465,555 in SNAP redemptions, Seafood and More exceeded the state average of all other seafood specialty class stores in Virginia by a significant margin, according to court documents.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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